A two-minute silence observed in memory of the martyrs

The services of fallen policemen in the country were remembered on Police Martyrs’ Day on Sunday.

The day is observed across the country in remembrance of the October 21, 1959, incident, when a 20-member patrol team of the Central Reserve Police Force was ambushed in Ladakh. 10 policemen were killed, the rest were taken as prisoners in an incident that pre-empted the India-China war.

Following a floral tribute to the memorial at the District Armed Reserve Headquarters and a three-round gun salute, Mangalore Police Commissioner Manish Kharbikar and Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Goyal read out a list of 566 policemen who had died between September 1, 2011, and August 31, 2012. Of these, five were from Karnataka – Head Constable Venkatesh, Head Constable S. Yogesh Padakannaiah and Police Constables Varadaraja, H.R. Bannatti and Mahadev S. Mane.

A two-minute silence was observed in memory of the martyrs, and the flag was flown at half-mast.

‘Police targeted’

Expressing his happiness that the list of martyrs had reduced compared to the 636 policemen, who died in the same period last year, Principal District and Sessions Judge Ashok G. Nijagannavara said it was unfortunate that the work of the police continued to be targeted by society.

“People are always fighting among themselves over caste or religion. It is the police who try to intervene to bring in law and order. However, society forgets their responsibilities and blames the police instead for the situation,” he said.

He also rued that police bravery was rarely commemorated while picking on their shortcomings and their actions. “This is not a good quality in any society. Even though the number of policemen is not proportionate to the population of the country, they still continue to put their lives on the line to stop anti-social activities. They are the keepers of peace, and it our duty to honour them for these actions,” he said.

Appeal

In an era where crimes committed were of increasing complexity, Inspector General of Police (Western Range) C.H. Pratap Reddy, sought the cooperation and support of the public to help make the policemen’s job easier.